#BTCBreaks99K 
April brought a breath of fresh air to the crypto markets. After months of sideways action, the total market cap surged 10.8%, with Bitcoin and SUI leading the charge. According to Binance Research, the rally was driven by improving macro conditions — including a 90-day U.S. tariff pause that eased global trade concerns — and stronger regulatory clarity.
Top Movers in April 2025
SUI (+54%): Skyrocketed thanks to Grayscale trust exposure and a fresh Mastercard deal.
Solana (SOL +15.2%): Benefited from Canada’s first SOL ETF and U.S. filings.
Bitcoin (BTC +13.2%): Jumped from ~$75K to over $90K amid ETF inflows, inflation hedging, and Arizona’s new BTC reserve law.
Chainlink (LINK +7.6%): Gained momentum from rising CCIP adoption and shrinking exchange supply.
XRP (+5%): Lifted by RLUSD stablecoin news and ETF speculation.
Other Gainers: ADA, DOGE, and TRX posted moderate gains, riding ETF optimism and ecosystem growth.
Underperformers
Ethereum (ETH -2.6%): Faced pressure from growing competition and slower-than-expected L2 adoption, despite excitement around the Pectra upgrade.
BNB (-0.4%): Slight dip despite the Lorentz hard fork, $916M token burn, and DeFi expansion via
Lista Lending.
Defi Sees Modest Growth
DeFi’s Total Value Locked (TVL) grew 3.3%, supported by a rollback in IRS reporting rules and legislative progress on the STABLE Act — which aims to formalize stablecoin regulation.
BNB Chain, Solana, and Tron led in TVL gains, while Ethereum and Arbitrum lost share as users chased speed and lower fees. Notably, USDC grew its market share to 26.2%, surpassing USDT on several chains.
NFT Activity Dips Despite Market Strength
While crypto markets rebounded, NFT sales volume dropped 16.3%, hitting a four-year low in unique buyers.
Ethereum NFT sales plunged 42.7%, though it remains the top chain.
Polygon climbed to second, thanks to gamified collectables like those on Courtyard.
Bored Ape Yacht Club defied the trend with ~40% growth in April.
OpenSea reclaimed the top marketplace spot with 2.1M active wallets, while Magic Eden continued expanding via acquisitions.
Looking Ahead: What May 2025 Could Bring
Key things to watch:
Major token unlocks could influence supply-demand dynamics.
Protocol upgrades and Layer-2 rollouts may shake up market sentiment.
ETF application progress and stablecoin regulation (STABLE Act) could define the month’s narrative.
Final Thoughts
April marked a clear divergence between crypto and traditional markets. Bitcoin’s strength, growing institutional interest, and improving regulation could set the stage for more gains — especially with eyes on a potential $100K BTC milestone.
#BTC #ETH #SUI #SOL #LINK #XRP #BNB #NFT #USDC #ETF #DOGE
Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. #Write2Earn